Brendan Smith Urges Prioritising Victims in Legacy Talks
Brendan Smith urged the Taoiseach to prioritise legacy issues when engaging with Boris Johnson's successor, insisting victims and survivors must be central and rejecting amnesty proposals. He criticised UK government proposals he said could grant immunity to murderers and highlighted a rise in mental‑health referrals among troubles victims.
Call to prioritise victims
Brendan Smith told the Taoiseach that the concerns of victims and survivors should be taken on board immediately in any engagement with the UK. He said the views of victims and the families of victims should be "uppermost and paramount" in any legacy policy or scheme.
Criticism of immunity and amnesty proposals
He described current UK proposals as "absolutely deplorable", arguing that present government legislation would allow murderers to give themselves immunity from prosecution. He stated that amnesties or qualified amnesties are unacceptable and reiterated his long‑standing opposition to proposals that remove accountability.
Mental health impact cited
Smith referenced an interview with Sandra Peake, Chief Executive of Wave, saying referrals from troubles victims for mental health supports have doubled in the past year due to the UK government's proposals. He said anxiety among victims has been prominent over the past 12 months and shows no sign of abating.
Concerns over cooperation on historical bombings
He criticised a "total lack of cooperation" by the British government in relation to the Dublin Monaghan bombings and the Beltorba bombings, calling it deplorable that a democratic government would not cooperate with a neighbouring sovereign state and parliament where state forces were implicated.
Call for adherence to agreements and a reset
While declining to intervene in the UK leadership election, Smith said the process should offer an opportunity to reset relationships and return to adherence to agreements entered into by sovereign states, Europe and the UK. He emphasised that what has been agreed should be adhered to unless changed collectively.
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Thank you at Cancorle. Taoiseach, I hope in the first opportunity that you will have to engage directly with Boris Johnston's successor that you will prioritise legacy issues and remind the government very strongly that they must take on board the concerns of victims and survivors. As all of us know in this House, the present government legislation would actually allow murderers to give themselves immunity from prosecution. It's absolutely deplorable. In a very good interview, Sandra Peake, the Chief Executive of Wave, spoke with Rodney Edwards and she has stated that referrals from troubles victims in need of mental health supports have doubled in the past year due to the UK government's proposals. She states that anxiety for victims has been very much to the fore in the past 12 months and we are not seeing that abating at all. And of course we have the total lack of cooperation by the British government in regard to the Dublin Monaghan bombings and also in regard to the Beltorba bombings as well. It's absolutely deplorable that a government in a democratic country would not cooperate with a sovereign government and a sovereign parliament in a neighbouring state where we know that state forces were involved in murder of innocent people. I thank you for raising the issue and I think the Deputy is aware of my own view in terms of the proposals that emerged in terms of amnesties or qualified amnesties is unacceptable. I think you're correct in saying that the views of victims and the families of victims should be uppermost and paramount in any legacy policy or legacy scheme. And the overall view, I would say, I don't want to get involved in what's happening at the moment in the UK in terms of an election for the successor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but just suffice to say that we would like that this would be an opportunity for a resetting of relationships, but also a return to adherence to the agreements that have been entered into between two sovereign states, between Europe and the UK, and in respect of legacy agreements that have been entered into by the families of victims, by political parties in Northern Ireland and by the governments of the UK. In other words, what has been agreed should be adhered to unless we again collectively agree to change.
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